US President Joe Biden congratulated PT President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his victory in Sunday’s elections, putting an end to speculation about when the US government’s recognition of the victory would come.
Just over half an hour after the announcement by the Superior Electoral Court, the White House sent a short note in which it claims that the Brazilian elections were fair — contrary to claims made before the election by the current president, Jair Bolsonaro.
“I send my congratulations to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for his election as the next president of Brazil after free, fair and credible elections. I look forward to working together to continue cooperation between our countries in the coming months and years,” reads the note sent. by the American president.
Later that night, Antony Blinken, head of US diplomacy, also congratulated Lula. “Congratulations to the Brazilian people for exercising their right to vote and reaffirming the strength of their democracy. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with President-elect Lula as we build a more democratic, prosperous and equitable hemisphere,” he said.
Until now, the White House had not informed whether it would automatically recognize the winner of the polls, as Democratic lawmakers asked, who feared that a delay in recognizing Bolsonaro’s defeat could pave the way for the current president to contest the results of the polls. The request was made again in a letter to the president last Friday by left-wing senators and deputies.
On the same day, the State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, was questioned. He did not answer whether the government would make an immediate recognition, but reiterated that he had confidence in the Brazilian electoral process.
The prompt recognition by the White House is motivated by a fear of turmoil in Brazil similar to that of January 6, 2021 in Washington, when a crowd swelled by former President Donald Trump invaded the congressional headquarters to prevent confirmation of Biden’s victory in the presidential election. election.
The quick demonstration serves to show Bolsonaro that there would be no international support in case of contestation of the result, as made clear by American diplomacy in a series of messages over the last few months, via the embassy in Brazil or comments from the White House, which reinforced the confidence in the electoral system.
The immediate recognition also contrasts with Bolsonaro’s delay in congratulating Biden on his election against Donald Trump – with whom the Brazilian is close – in 2020. At the time, after raising suspicions without proof that the American election had been rigged, Bolsonaro only congratulated Biden 38 days after the Democrat’s victory projection, one of the last world leaders to do so, after including Trump allies, such as Israeli Binyamin Netanyahu, British Boris Johnson, and even Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The speed in recognizing Lula’s victory was also adopted by European leaders. A few minutes after the announcement by the Superior Electoral Court, the TSE, French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated PT and said that together the two will join “forces to face the many common challenges and renew the bond of friendship between our two countries” .
Under Bolsonaro, Brasilia distanced itself from Paris after a series of arguments between the Brazilian and French presidents. On one occasion, still in 2019, Bolsonaro offended Macron’s wife, Brigitte, and made jokes about her appearance. The weakened relationship between the two leaders is mainly due to French pressure on the Brazilian government’s environmental policies.
Prime Minister and President of Portugal António Costa and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, respectively, also needed just a few minutes to congratulate Lula on his victory. Rebelo de Souza, by the way, came into conflict with Bolsonaro in July, after the Brazilian canceled a lunch with the Portuguese. The justification would be in a meeting between Rebelo de Souza and Lula days before.
In the same vein, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, quickly posted on his Twitter account that the Brazilian elections were “peaceful and well-organised”. “I look forward to working together and promoting EU-Brazil relations with your government and with the new Congress and State authorities,” he added.
Some of the South American leaders -whose vast majority are allied with the PT –, in turn, did not even wait for the official results of the TSE. This was the case of Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, who, minutes after the projection of Lula’s victory by Datafolha, wrote “Viva Lula” on his Twitter account. Argentina’s vice president, Cristina Kirchner, also came forward and thanked the Brazilian in advance “for returning joy and hope to our South America.”
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